Dine Øjne
by thelastingsacrifice
Summary: Darkness was starting to envelope the land, but all that changed was the color of the sky, and the temperature of the land. No creatures came out to roam for food, no plants fought for the last beams of light. It was a wasteland.
1. Intro

The car wasn't anything noticeable.

It had the typical four wheels and peeling body paint. Once upon a time it might have been a golden color, but exposure to the sun and elements had stripped it of any former brilliance. Clear coat was flaking up, especially on the hood and the roof, and the color of the car had turned tan. Appearance didn't matter though; this car only had one purpose. It was driven by a man who seemed to have only one expression, his eyes trained on the empty, dusty road in front of him. He could hear the conversation in the back, but just like all the times before, he ignored it. He was paid to deliver people to their destinations, not feed the peanut gallery.

Three men sat in the back, two in official suits, armed with tasers and other "proper" restraining devices. Sun glasses covered their eyes, but there was no question where they were looking: at the third man. This man didn't resemble the other two in the slightest way. Dressed in jeans and a light jacket, he was forced to kneel on the floor, arms bound behind him, gagged and blinded by simple strips of cloth. He had been unconscious for most of the ride, but as the medicine slowly wore off, he began to stir, struggling against the binding.

The bound man was an interesting sight. His body spoke of a man who could get all the ladies, tall and muscular, perhaps he was a frequent visitor to the gym. Most of his strength seemed to gather in his chest and arms, which was why he had been bound so tightly. He was dressed decently, a pair of black jeans, a rather fancy shirt and vest combo along with a little red tie, all wrapped up with a long black trench coat. Everything seemed to follow a black and red theme, even up to the little hat perched in his unruly blonde hair. He could have been quite the hunk, if it hadn't been for one thing…

"Mmngh!" The man was awake now, the effects of the medicine wearing off, and was more than a little panicked at the position he found himself in. Struggling against the bonds, he didn't even receive a warning before the hot pain of being tased seared through him, a pained sound ripping out of him, before he collapsed, once again sent into the realm of unconsciousness.

"We are almost there." One of the men said mechanically, while the other put away his gun. "We can dispose of him and get back home. I feel dirty just sitting here around him."

"I feel dirty as well," the man with the taser agreed, nodding his head just a little bit. "Filth like this should be drowned at birth instead of being allowed to grow up and think they're actually living. They all end up out here."

"Are you questioning the way of the government?" It was the first thing the driver had said during the drive, his dark eyes looking up in the mirror to pay close attention to the men who had been carrying on the conversation, hand slowly starting to reach for his phone.

"Of course not, the government's choices are law!" The men said immediately. For a few moments, there was silence in car, before one of the men delivered a swift kick into the side of the bound man, taking out his frustration. "Are we almost there yet?" He asked rather sulkily, ignoring the jab from his partner on the trip.

"Nearly there," The driver stated. All around them was a wasteland, a place where trash had been dumped until they couldn't fit anything else. Great heaping piles of trash were everywhere, towering high above the little car. What had once been a busy and active city was now nothing more than a scar on the face of the world…though it wasn't alone. All over the world, places like this could be found. Civilization had been moved far away from these areas…the only thing that was left was the waste.

"We have arrived." The driver said as he stopped the car, unlocking the doors. Quickly, the two agents grabbed the bound man and dragged him out of the car, throwing him to the ground. "Filth," one of them spat, while the other delivered another kick to his ribs. "Filth," he echoed. The smell was starting to get to them though, they quickly climbed back into the vehicle, which was thrown into reverse and gone within five minutes.

The man's binding had caught on something sharp and ripped through, now he was sprawled on the ground. Darkness was starting to envelope the land, but all that changed was the color of the sky, and the temperature of the land. No creatures came out to roam for food, no plants fought for the last beams of light. It was a wasteland.

A soft breeze made its way through the trash piles, and right before the last beam of light left the land, a small stuffed bunny fell from one of the piles and landed in one of the man's outstretched hands.


	2. Chapter One

Somehow, Mathias had survived the night.

Although no animals roamed the land during the day, giving the world a rather desolate feel, at night something far worse than any natural animal came out to play. It preyed on whatever it could get its mouth on, making quick work of anyone who was unfortunate enough to fall into its path. If that monster didn't get you, you still had to fight off the trash. All throughout the night, and even during the day, trash fell from the great piles. It crashed to the ground with a crunching sound. Anyone who was caught under a collapse would easily be killed, be it from the weight of the trash or serious injury.

Somehow, though, the man had defied these odds. He was battered and bruised, but he was _alive_ and that was the only thing that mattered. Blissfully oblivious to the dangers though, the only thing Mathias could think about when he reentered the realm of consciousness was the fact that he _hurt. _Groaning, and then wincing at the immense pain in his ribs, he groggily rolled onto his back, wondering why it was so dark out when he was sure it was day. He couldn't see a thing! Judging by the nauseating smell though, it might be a good thing he couldn't see…oh, great. His hand had landed in something squishy and wet.

Groaning, Mathias let out a slightly shaky sigh. He had found that breathing shallowly eased the pain in his ribs. What had happened last night? Had he been at some sort of party? It would certainly explain the smell. Where had the bruises come from though? He hadn't been _that _drunk, right? Wait…he hadn't had anything to drink.

All of these thoughts were starting to give him a headache. Slowly shaking his head, Mathias brought his hand up to rub at his eyes. When he encountered cloth though, he couldn't help but let out a rather surprised yelp. What…why was…what the hell? Sitting bolt upright, ignoring the protests coming from various parts of his body as his muscles complained, Mathias ripped off the black cloth, hissing as his eyes reacted negatively to the sudden onslaught of light.

For a moment, he considered passing out again as pain seared in his head. It seemed like he could feel his heart beating against his eyeballs. This was something worse than a hangover, and he had had _plenty_ of those. After a few minutes had passed, although the headache hadn't gone away yet, he could see.

What a thing to see, though. Nearly gaping at the world around him, Mathias felt his heartbeat pick up until it was racing at what seemed to be light speed. A strange sound was drifting around, something that sounded like a mix between a scream and a whimper. Where was it coming from? Slowly looking around the land, he found that he was completely…oh, wait, it was coming from him. Snapping his mouth shut with a little 'click' sound, a shudder escaped the large blonde. He was alone. No, he wasn't just alone; he was completely and utterly _alone._

Sweat had beaded on his forehead at this point, the water catching the light from the sun that was shining down on the smelly wasteland. He needed to get somewhere cool, someplace where he could rest and figure out what he needed to do, but at the moment, a sort of shock had surged over Mathias. His muscles had locked into place. It was like he had been paralyzed. His impressive blue eyes were wide and unseeing, unfocused and staring at the mound of trash to the side of him. Just like when he had been dropped off, there wasn't even a bird call to be heard. Nothing familiar that he could cling to, nothing that could break him out of his horrified trance.

It was actually the sound of trash falling that jolted Mathias back to reality, his eyes focusing once again as he took a deep, almost desperate gasp of air. He had apparently forgotten how to breathe in his frozen state. He had grown accustom to the stench of the air, now he didn't even cringe at the horrific smell. Slowly, Mathias turned his head toward the sound, watching as the last pieces of trash daintily fluttered on top of the bulk that had fallen.

"I need to get out of here," he said. Jumping at the unfamiliar sound of…well, sound of anything really, a sort of hysterical laugh escaped him. It made his chest ache, and the pain in his ribs only that much worse, but it was worth it. For some reason, that laughter only managed to make him feel better, as if someone had taken a weight off of his back. The sound of his laughter seemed to bounce off of the trash heaps, echoing all around the area. Hearing his laughter only made Mathias laugh harder though, until he was reduced to nothing more than a curled up ball on the ground, aching and out of breath.

"Why am I even here? I was having such fun back home!" he wheezed, though the sane part of his mind denied that fact. He had been bored at home, but looking at his choices, he supposed he would rather be bored than die a horrible death. Carefully getting to his feet, a flash of color suddenly caught the man's eyes, making him pause. "What…what is that?" he mumbled.

Slowly reaching out with a shaking hand, Mathias gently brushed some trash off of the unidentified object, picking it up and examining it in the intense rays of the sun. It appeared to be some sort of soft, plush animal. Judging by the tail and the ears, Mathias was willing to bet it was a bunny. "A stuffed animal…? What is this doing out here?" A quick examination showed that it was actually in good shape. "And it doesn't have any holes…doesn't smell bad either. Why are you here, little toy?" He asked, before shrugging and gingerly placing the toy into his pocket. "Well, you can be my buddy out here. We don't have anyone else, huh?"

_Fantastic. Hasn't even been a day and I'm already chatting it up with the local stuffed animals. Next thing I know, I'll be running around in a loincloth and calling myself King of the Trash. _

Snorting and shaking his head at that idea, Mathias rolled his eyes, getting to his feet. Staggering a little, he threw another hand into a pile of trash, grimacing as he felt some sort of slime like substance ooze through his fingers. If there was one good thing about this land, it was that he had absolutely no appetite. He was as thirsty as a camel though, it was time to venture in search of water and hope that trash didn't fall on him.

Looking around, Mathias pointed in a direction, and started to follow his finger. The sun had risen fully by this time, and the land was starting to bake. The smell had gotten worse, and although he was somewhat used to it, it was getting harder and harder to ignore it. Jumping from shade puddle to shade puddle, listening for _any_ sound, he had only traveled for what he imagined was half an hour before he had to stop and take a breather.

"Ah, I don't see any water, Little Mathias," he told the stuffed bunny in his pocket, eyes closing. Chest heaving as he fought to get enough air, Mathias shook his head, coughing violently for a few moments before sighing. "Damn it, my throat is on fire. It's high noon, I need something to drink. Anything to drink would be great, though right now, I definitely wouldn't pass down some water. And usually I hate that stuff!" An avid drinker of anything _other_ than water, the blonde was more than a little shocked to hear those words leave his mouth. Since when did he actually want water?

_Since your life depends on it, maybe? Come on, idiot. Think about this. Where would water hide? Where would you be if you happened to be a nice pool of water? Think! _

He needed to think! He didn't want to die out here! Nobody would be able to come to his funeral if he died out here, they wouldn't know where the body was! Forcing himself to his feet with a war cry, Mathias staggered out of his shade pool and into the glare of the sun, scowling. The world wanted to play this way? It wanted to take him on? Fine! He would show this world that he could conquer it! He wouldn't just find water, he would thrive here! Living with the trash!

Laughing again, Mathias began to sprint through the wasteland, his breath coming short and rapid as he threw himself around sharp corners and dodged falling trash. It was just like a game! How long could you survive until you got smashed? Oh, he was going to win this round! He couldn't keep the pace up forever though, and before he quite knew what was happening, Mathias found himself falling to the ground.

Landing heavily on his knees, he awkwardly splayed out on the ground, grunting as the air was knocked out of his lungs. For a few moments, he laid there in a dazed manner, struggling to breathe.

Oh, look, there was something on the surface. Something that looked like liquid. Eyes widening a little, Mathias dragged himself toward the shining thing. What was it? He honestly didn't have a clue, nor did he care. Thirst was scratching at his throat, and right now, it just felt like he was going to die if he didn't get something drink. Reaching the liquid, the man reached out and dropped his fingers into it, almost salivating as he anticipated the feel of the cool liquid down his throat. Slowly, ever so slowly, he pulled his fingers out and pushed himself to his knees, examining the liquid on his fingers curiously. It was black and slick…oh, shit, it was oil. He couldn't…he couldn't drink that. He had…and now it was…ugh! This just wasn't going right for him at all!

"Where did I go wrong, Little Mathias?" he asked. Sighing a bit, Mathias slowly sat back in a squishy pile of trash. The sun had started to go down, and chills were already raking the land. Even in his massive black coat, he found himself shivering, teeth chattering in a rather obnoxious manner. Wrapping his arms around himself, Mathias fought back the urge to vomit as he made himself a little hole in the trash and crawled in. For some reason, being covered made him feel safe, not to mention the fact that it was fairly warm.

Ignoring the fact that there was stuff oozing all around him, and he was pretty sure he was going to get sick since he was enclosed in trash, Mathias pulled the last bit of trash in front of the hole he had made and curled up in a small ball. He hadn't found any food, he hadn't found any water…this was as close to shelter as he had come…and he was completely alone out here. How had he gotten out here, anyway? Struggling for any memories that could help him figure this out, Mathias could only shake his head when he came up blank. His memories were full of holes. Life was so clear up until yesterday…what had happened yesterday? Why was he here? How had he gotten here? What was going on?

Questions like these bombarded Mathias' mind, and the answers were nowhere to be found. As sleep slowly claimed the blonde man, a sound could be heard in the far off distance. The usual silence of the land was broken by a single, blood chilling howl.

Night had come.


	3. Chapter Two

Hunger pains woke Mathias the next day. Stretching, the blonde glanced around him, confusion dancing in his brightly colored eyes. When he had gone to bed, the trash had been tightly wrapped around him. He had been as snug as a bug in it, and now…he could feel the sun beating down on him and the occasional breeze was ruffling his hair. Instead of being off of the ground, he was awkwardly sprawled out on the ground, only the lower half of his body actually in the trash.

Slowly sitting up, grimacing as his stomach reminded him that it was empty, Mathias glanced around the land, eyes widening dramatically. Yesterday, the land had been carefully stacked and composed. The trash had sat in great heaps, all piled into one place with little trails of land between the heaps. Now though, there was nothing even remotely resembling organization. Trash was thrown everywhere. Every inch of previously bare land was covered. What had once been in massive heaps was all over the land. For a moment, fear stabbed into Mathias' stomach, a slightly choked noise escaping him as he scrambled backwards, hiding in the trash that had been partially covering him.

"Something _big_ is out there…" he whispered, shivering violently, goose bumps breaking out on his arms. "I'm…I'm not alone after all." His voice was oddly quiet, as if he was afraid of waking the beast. All of a sudden, the idea of being completely alone was welcome. At least he wouldn't die due to some sort of…creature. Honestly, Mathias had no idea what would have done this sort of damage. "Seeing as he—er—it, that is, didn't notice my pathetic fleeing I'm going to assume that it only comes out at night." Sighing a little, the blonde slowly shook his head, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin against them. All of a sudden, everything had just gotten so much worse.

"Nights are no longer safe, little Mathias," he mumbled to the stuffed bunny in his pocket, a shudder racking his body and his stomach making another sound, louder than the last. "I suppose I should find something to eat," he mumbled, slowly getting out of his position, staggering a bit as a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. Black spots were dancing in his vision, and for a moment, Mathias couldn't help but wonder if he was going to pass out. Even the thought of passing out and dying was met with some sort of calm acceptance though. He was going to die out here. He was going to die alone, probably eaten by some sort of beast. He shouldn't have been so okay with it, but as he waited for his vision to come back, Mathias found it hard to really care.

Taking a careful step forward, and then another, Mathias made his way through the trash. There had to be food somewhere in the rubble, he just needed to find it. There were no seagulls or animals to pick out the food, all he would have to do was stomach it. He hadn't traveled far when something caught his attention, bright blue eyes widening as he fell forward, snatching the crate of cherries and holding them close to his chest. They smelled horrible, and they were squished, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was the fact that they were _food_. Shakily popping the top off of the cherries, Mathias grabbed a handful and shoved them into his mouth.

For just a moment, he thought he was going to throw up. Stomach rolling, gag reflex engaging as his body protested, he swallowed heavily and blanched, doubling over. Letting out a groan, he glared at the cherries, panting a little. "No…it's food, and it will stay down," he whispered, unable to get his voice any louder at the moment. Spots were dancing in his vision again, but those were easily ignored. A few minutes of pain later, and he slowly sat up, laughing a bit. "Hah! I beat you! Stupid cherries!" he leered, before eating another handful of those stupid cherries, spitting out the pits as soon as he encountered them.

Climbing to his feet, standing on a pile of trash in a rather proud manner, Mathias grinned down at the world below him, feeling as if he was king of the world. This feeling of being on top of the world only lasted for a few moments though: it really didn't matter how he acted, there was nobody out here to see him. There was nobody to laugh at him. There was nobody to be friends with, and have a great time with. Closing his eyes, Mathias slowly let his chin fall against his chest, a quiet sigh escaping him. Ever so cautiously, he took the little bunny plush he had found the previous day and held it to his chest.

"You are the only thing I have anymore," he mumbled to the small bunny. Swallowing thickly, the Dane shook his head again, slowly tucking the little thing back into his pocket. A sort of protective feeling had come over him. It didn't matter that the bunny wasn't even alive, it was still _there_. That was all that mattered. "You'll be safe," he promised the small rabbit plush. "I'm not going to let that creature get to you." The fact that the creature probably wasn't even interested in that plush didn't matter. Head snapping up, a new gleam of determination had entered Mathias' eyes as he glanced at the land around him, a rather proud set to his shoulders. "I'll-!"

It was the sound of something moving that broke the cry the blonde had been about to exclaim. Eyes widening, he threw himself to the side, landing into a heap of trash. Seconds later, some sort of arrow buried itself in the trash Mathias had been standing on only moments before. Eyes widening, Mathias didn't dare to breathe as he saw the arrow, feeling as if he was going to puke.

Thoughts raced through his mind. The first thing was the fact he wasn't alone, the second was the fact whoever…whatever…this was, it had tried to kill him. So was he supposed to be excited or scared? Did it even matter? He wasn't alone! Laughing, though it sounded a little squeaky, the blonde bolted to his feet. "Hey! Hey! Don't kill me, I wouldn't taste good!" he shouted, waving his arms like a madman. "I don't have any food, or water, but don't leave me behind either! I don't like being alone all that much!" Who was he even talking to?

"Great. After years of surviving on my own, I finally get company, and he turns out to be an idiot," a scratchy voice sneered, making Mathias jump. He hadn't actually expected an answer—the fact that the voice had pretty much insulted him was lost on the man though. "Sitting there, waving your arms like some sort of retard. Like you're expecting a plane to fly by all of a sudden! Hah! Do you really think that they would fly a _plane_ out here? That's almost funny!" A sort of hysterical edge had come over the voice.

"I can't see you!" Mathias called, bringing a hand up to shield his eyes, feeling uncomfortable under the bright glare of the sun.

"Yeah, that's intentional," the voice informed him. For a few moments, there was silence once again, before another man stepped out from behind a pile of trash.

He was short.

That was the first thing Mathias realized when he saw the mysterious speaker. There was definite pride in his stance though. Despite the fact he was skinny as a stick; the speaker wasn't going to go down without a fight. His clothes were tatters at this point, and his hair had a rather rough cut—it was obvious he had done it himself. The hair color itself might have been a golden blonde once upon a time, lighter than Mathias'. His eyes though, that was what really drew the Dane in. They were a purplish blue color, something that he had never seen before now. Feeling his own eyes widen, Mathias stepped toward the other, wondering if this was some sort of mirage, wondering if he had finally lost it once and for all.

As soon as he stepped forward, the smaller man stepped back, his eyes flashing with an almost animalistic wariness. Slowly coming to a stop, Mathias held up his hands, not wanting to seem like a threat. It had already been proven that the other man had weapons, and he didn't want to end up on the sharp end of one of those. Silence stretched between the two again, before the man slowly reached into his pocket and tossed something to the ground, nudging it toward Mathias with his foot.

Carefully reaching down, Mathias picked up the cylinder, eyes widening a little when he heard the familiar 'slosh' of something liquid within in. Liquid! Hydration! All of a sudden, he became aware of the harsh ache in his throat and how cracked his lips were. The answer to his problems was here though, in this lovely little cylinder! Before he could guzzle the liquid though, the man who had shown up at just the right time spoke again, his tone condescending.

"Don't drink it all right now, you idiot. You'll make yourself sick, and then you'd waste everything. Surely you aren't stupid enough to realize that nothing can be wasted out here?" he sneered, before scuffing his shoe on the ground. Eyes widening, Mathias took a moment to stare at the blonde. That action, the scuffing on the ground, had almost seemed shy. Nodding a little, Mathias sipped the water carefully, only taking some of it, before extending the cylinder toward him.

"Thanks," Mathias muttered, before grinning. "You have a name? Or should I just call you some sort of nickname? Maybe Little Mathias?" Taking a step back, Mathias studied the other man for a few moments, nodding a bit. "Perfect! It fits perfectly! Little—"

"Lukas," the shorter blonde said with a groan, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead. "My name is Lukas. You're obviously Mathias. There, we got your pathetic introduction out of the way, happy now? Or, rather, are you going to shut up now? Your voice is starting to grate on me." Lukas was openly glaring at Mathias now, his tone almost hostile, but it seemed to just roll right off of Mathias.

"Yes! My name is Mathias, and I am happy to meet you, Lukas. I'm not alone out here!" A small sort of giggle escaped the large man now, relief evident in his tone. "I'm not alone! This is going to be like a vacation! One…big…smelly sort of vacation! And after a while, I'll get to go back home. We'll both get to go back home and have a lot of stories to tell!" Another sort of giggle escaped Mathias, though there was a slightly hysterical edge to it.

"Mathias, get ahold of yourself," Lukas grumbled, shaking his head. "You have to get it through your mind. Alright? Listen to me." Slowly, he stepped forward, tugging on the small red tie that was loosely wrapped around the Dane's neck, bringing him down so they were face to face. "You are going to die out here." Each word was spoken carefully. Lukas' tone was flat, resigned. There was no hope in his eyes, nothing that could indicate he was joking. Instead, there was a quiet sort of resignation: he had accepted the fact that he was going to die out here already. There was no hope left in him, and for some reason…that was worse to Mathias than being told that he was going to die out here.

"Die…out here?" Mathias asked, eyes wide, staring into the purple-blue hues of Lukas' eyes. He couldn't accept that—he couldn't accept the fact that this wasn't some sort of fun little vacation. He couldn't accept the fact that this was going to be his end. No. He couldn't die out here! He was too young to die! "No! I can't…no! I'm not going to die out here, you're wrong!" he whispered, shaking his head, denial flashing in his eyes.

Sharply tugging the tie again, Lukas slowly shook his head. "You're in denial. You're going to die out here, Mathias. And it will be slow, and it will be painful. That's if you're lucky." Sighing a little, Lukas released the tie and took a step back, slowly shaking his head.

"Come with me, Mathias. There's something you need to see if you have _any_ chance of surviving out here," he mumbled, before turning on his heel, and started to walk off. He didn't look behind to see if the Dane was following him. There was no question that he was being followed. Lukas only needed to find the way.

Staring at the other man, a surge of panic flashed through Mathias. He couldn't stand the idea of being left alone—not when he _knew _that he wasn't alone. Hurrying through the trash, feeling curiosity tug at him, Mathias made his way after Lukas. What other secrets could this gross and rather disturbing land hold?

On second thought…did he really want to know?


	4. Chapter Three

It was an empty area, at least, in the sense that there was no trash cluttering the land. The monstrous hills that marked the area had shrunk down to foothills and then nothing at all, but as he stared at what was in front of him, Mathias couldn't help but feel sick. Slowly, the color drained from his face, and his hands started to shake as his eyes widened and a sort of pained noise escaped tightly pursed lips. Faster and faster his chest rose and fell as he fought to breathe. Although there was no trash around the area, there was something about this place that absolutely _reeked._

Swallowing thickly, Mathias felt his legs give out. Falling to the earth, he landed hard on his knees as a sort of tortured sound escaped him. Wrapping his arms around his torso, he slowly shook his head, eyes squeezing shut, not wanting to see what was in front of him.

"Open your eyes, Mathias. If you don't get your act together, this is going to be you," Lukas said. His voice was unemotional; this wasn't the first time he had seen this place. Listening to that cold, uncaring tone, a sort of resentment bubbled up in Mathias. Slowly, he opened his eyes, a shaky sort of chuckle escaping him.

"So cold and uncaring," he whispered. Eyes roaming, Mathias took in everything that was in front of him. Human bones littered the landscape, carefully arranged into small piles. He could see the bones of a small child, thrown together with what he could only assume was its family. Families were out here! Children who hadn't even had a chance at life! That wasn't even the worst part though. Generally, Mathias could ignore the shapes of the bones, pretend that they weren't from people. When he saw the skulls sitting on the piles though, saw their leering grins and blaming, empty eyes…he couldn't deny that they had been _people_ once. He couldn't deny that they had had a life, a family, or just something to look forward to every evening. They had had something, and they had died out here. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Mathias slowly shook his head, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Oh, suck it up," Lukas sneered, rolling his blue eyes from behind Mathias. "They're dead; they don't need your sympathy. Plus you're wasting liquid. You don't have enough resources to allow yourself to cry out here."

"Shut up." Mathias' voice was nothing more than a whisper as he slowly looked over his shoulder, his hands balling into fists. "Shut up! You didn't know them! You didn't know what sort of life they had! There are families out there, Lukas! _Families!_ Children! There are….there are little children out there. They shouldn't have had to die so young. Nobody should have died out here…nobody deserves to die out here." Doubling over again, Mathias wrapped his arms around his torso once more, shaking his head.

"You don't know them either, Mathias. They're just bones. I took you out here to make a point, idiot. If you don't start acting like you want to live, you're going to end up being just another pile of bones." Lukas said, rolling his eyes at the upset Dane. "You're so pathetic. Get up."

"No," Mathias mumbled, slowly shaking his head. If he got up, he'd just end up falling again. And at the moment, he wasn't all too fond of the other man.

"Idiot, it's getting dark," Lukas hissed now, smacking Mathias upside the back of the head, eyes flashing with an actual emotion now. "If you get caught in the open when dark falls, you're screwed. You _will_ end up out here, and I won't feel sorry for you." With that, the smaller blonde whirled around and started to stomp off.

So there was a beast out here, he hadn't been imagining things. Taking a deep breath, Mathias carefully got to his feet, casting out a silent prayer for all of those who had had to die out in this hellhole. Shaking his head, he stumbled after Lukas. Although he wasn't all that fond of the other man right now, he was still the first person he had seen out here, and Mathias had no desire to die right now. "There is a beast out here?" he mumbled as he trudged behind Lukas, voice falling flat.

"Several. Hunger, dehydration, the weather, falling objects. They're all beasts," Lukas muttered. "And then there's…it."

"It?" Mathias asked, glancing around him in a slightly anxious manner. "Is it what destroys the trash piles at night and rearranges stuff?" he asked.

"Yes. It looks for food. It's rather carnivorous, though fresh meat is hard to come by around here. That's why it has taken a liking to human meat. It will not hesitate to kill you if it gets the chance. It doesn't come out during the day though."

Shuddering a little, Mathias couldn't help but wonder how many people had fallen victim to the beast. "We should hurry up," he mumbled, quickening his pace until he was beside the other man. "How have you survived so long out here? One person against that creature…"

For a few moments, there was silence, before Lukas gave a small sigh and shook his head, expression tight and posture stiff. "We have a lot to talk about," he mumbled. "You obviously have no idea what is going on around here, or why you're even here. Did you really think this wasn't planned? That you weren't selected for a reason?"

In all honesty, the thought had never occurred to the Dane. He had always…well, in all honesty, he hadn't been thinking about why he was out here. Now that the other man brought it up though, he could do little more than chew on his lip, pace slowing. His pride wouldn't allow him to admit that Lukas was right, but what _was_ he doing out here? A perfectly average life, he hadn't broken any major rules. He hadn't gone past _the_ gates, no matter how badly he had wanted to, he had just…been himself. A little bored with how average life was, yes, but he hadn't done anything _wrong!_

"You were starting to get too questioning. Began to get a little too suspicious, and they decided to squash the problem." Once again, Lukas had that flat and rather emotionless tone. This time Mathias wasn't bothered by it though; he was too busy staring at the boy beside him in evident curiosity.

"Too questioning?" he scoffed a little, rolling his eyes. "Oh, come on. All I ever questioned was when I was going to get my pay check. All of us wondered about all of that!" It wasn't the truth. He had been questioning more than that for a long time. Had his drunken tongue actually voiced those questions, though?

"Don't lie to me. You may think you're some hot shot, but your face gives you away," Lukas snapped, shaking his head. "You got a little too questioning, and they somehow got word of it. I've suspected spies for the longest time. You though," he paused to cast a rather scornful look at Mathias, "Probably thought it would be a good idea to run your mouth and announce these ideas to the world. They probably just called it the ramblings of a drunken idiot, which is why you are the only one out here. You got a little too questioning about your so-called perfect society, and you know what people do with problems. They sweep them under the rug and hope they don't spread." Venom laced Lukas' tone, and for just a moment, his bright purple-blue eyes flared with raw, unguarded hate.

Surprised by this sudden reveal of emotion, Mathias stared for a few moments before he shook his head. "Spies?" he asked dumbly, mouth moving before his brain could process what he was asking. Coughing a bit, he flushed and shook his head. "Why would there be spies? It isn't like anyone was a real troublemaker…" That was kind of odd, wasn't it? There had never really been any trouble. Everyone had been well-behaved, got along with each other, and accepted what was told to them. Maybe the water really had been drugged. Some old geezer had told him that once, but he had brushed him off as crazy. Hah, it was funny how much he regretted that now.

"How stupid are you? Everything was perfect and in order all the time. Everybody was well-behaved, there were never any problems. Despite the fact there were parties, there was never any mess to deal with in the morning. It was down to a routine. Don't go past the gate and life would be great. That was the promise of the government. Did you ever stop to wonder just _what_ was behind that gate, though? Or were you too busy trying to prove what a stud you were?" Lukas sneered, rolling his eyes and picking up the pace a little as the sky continued to darken.

"I thought about that gate! I thought about going past it!" Mathias snapped, staring to bristle under the sneering tone and constant insults.

"And yet you never did. Were you chicken, or did you just want the party to never end?" Lukas asked, disdain in his tone.

"Chicken?" Rage made the Dane's voice shake, his hands clenching into fists. Taking a deep breath, Mathias slowly shook his head, trying to keep himself under control. "I have never been chicken. I would have happily gone through the gate. Do you want to know why I didn't, though?"

"Not really, I get the feeling it's going to turn into some sort of sob story. I really don't care, Mathias." Lukas said.

Ignoring that comment, Mathias was silent for a few moments as they walked, before a quiet sigh escaped him. "Never go past the gate, they said. And yet, a few buddies and me, we weren't happy with that limitation. It was late at night, and the whole town had gathered for some sort of important meeting. Well, as you can probably guess, all but our group."

"Let me guess," Lukas said lazily, cutting the Dane off. "One of your buddies went past the gate and never came back? Oh, I've never heard that one before. It's such a _sob_ story. I think I might have a tear in my eyes."

A rather bitter laugh escaped the larger man. Looking at Lukas, Mathias slowly shook his head. "I wish it had been like that," he whispered. "It would have been so much easier if it had been like that. You're completely wrong, Lukas. We didn't go out the gate." Pausing, he waited to see if the other man had some sort of smart ass comment to make. Nodding in the silence, Mathias continued his story with a rather blank expression, arms wrapping around himself as the horrors of what had happened became fresh in his mind.

"We had been about to go out the gate. A whole "one, two, three and go!" sort of thing. The gate was opened, and right when we were about to run out, _something_ slammed against the bars of the gate. We hadn't opened it all the way, just enough to get out. We fell back, just as a hand shot through the bars and started to reach for us. At this point, we were pretty much scared out of our minds. And yet, there was some part of me that couldn't leave. When everyone else took off, I was stupid enough to stay there." Taking a deep breath, Mathias shook his head again, closing his eyes for a few moments before continuing.

"I slowly got back to my feet and moved so I could really get a good look at what was going on. There was a man on the other side of the fence. At least, I can only assume it was a man. His skin hung off of his body in strips. It was like something was eating him alive. He was screaming for me to help him, begging me to just let him in. He said that he just wanted to see his family one last time. I was revolted by his appearance though. Despite his frantic pleas, I turned my back on him. As soon as I turned away, I heard the sound of flesh being ripped apart. I didn't look back. There's one thing that will always stand out to me. His eyes were the clearest shade of blue that I had ever seen. Even filled with panic, there had been something about those eyes…and whatever that something was, it haunts me to this day."

Silence stretched between the two after that. Lukas had stopped and was staring at Mathias, though at the moment, Mathias couldn't bring himself to meet Lukas' eyes. There was a charge in the air now. In a funny way, it was almost like hope had sprung back into the smaller man. Hope after such a horrid story? There really was something wrong with Lukas.

"Someone…someone managed to come back?" Lukas finally whispered. Taking on a fairly confused expression, Mathias carefully looked up, trying to figure out just where the blonde was going with this. "Mathias! Are you serious about this? Did it actually happen? If you just made all of this up, I swear to you, I will leave you to die out here!" Lukas shouted, making Mathias flinch.

"Make that up? Who would be sick enough to make something like _that_ up?" Mathias asked, incredulous.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Mathias." Lukas snapped. "You have no idea what that information means."

"I don't know what it means? Why don't you enlighten me? Or do you think I'm too stupid to be able to understand what you have to say?" A sort of hysteria had entered Mathias' tone. His brightly colored eyes had taken on a feral light, and he looked like a wild animal that had finally been cornered.

"The fact that someone was able to come back means that there is a chance to go home," Lukas said quietly, bowing his head a little. "I pray for that poor soul, the place he got sent sounds far worse than here, but the fact he was able to come back at all is great news. It means there is a chance…"

"Wait, why do so many people get sent away? Is it because they ask too many questions?" Mathias asked, calming for a moment as curiosity cleared his mind. "I mean, questions are normal, right? There's nothing wrong with asking questions."

"Questioning, and if they just decide they don't like you. They like to go after the people who aren't too close to anyone. That way, nobody will miss them," Lukas said. The conversation was cut off then as the other pulled away a tarp, revealing a hole in the ground.

"Wait, we're going down there?" Mathias asked, eyes widening as a bit of panic threatened to choke him. It was dark, it looked small, and for all he knew, it could be the jaws of the beast. All of Mathias' senses were screaming 'not safe.'

"Only if you want to live," Lukas scoffed. Climbing into the hole, he left the Dane with no choice. Taking a deep breath, Mathias climbed into the hole, sliding down the slope, before tumbling into a slightly roomier hollow. It was about the size of an average bedroom, just enough for two people to live comfortably. Darkness covered them as Lukas pulled the tarp over them, and for a few moments, they sat in silence.

"How are we going to get out of this place?" Mathias asked, settling down on the floor, stretching out and sighing a little. There was an oddly lived-in feeling about this hole, as if it had once housed someone other than Lukas. For a moment, Mathias considered asking about it, but before he could open his mouth the boneyard he had seen flashed in his mind. It would be better not to ask. "Since you seem to think that…creature….came from somewhere like this."

There were a few moments of silence, and the sound of Lukas shifting, before he heard a quiet sigh. "Mathias, why else would someone be so disgusting? They obviously didn't come from either of the cities. In the cities, everyone is well-groomed. Someone matching what you described has to have been an exile."

"Wait, cities? As far as I know, there was really only one city. We all lived there, and since that was…" Trailing off, Mathias' eyes widened as he fully registered what he was saying.

"Since that was all you'd ever known, and it was what you were brought up with." Bitterness laced Lukas' tone. "Really, Mathias, think back to your life. Can you tell me what was off? And I don't mean what they taught you. Let's see if you can figure out the key to this. Think _really_ hard."

Biting his lip, Mathias closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to figure out just what the other man was talking about. Images flashed past as he scanned his memory, but he couldn't…what was different? What was Lukas talking about? Everything had seemed so normal! Aside from that incident with the guy at the gates, his life had been as normal as anyone else's!

"You don't get it, do you?" Lukas snapped, his impatience getting the better of him. "If you got it, you'd understand why there was no point in going back. We'd just be found and sent to some other hellhole. And then we really would die! You want to know what is going on, Mathias? Since you apparently can't figure it out yourself?"

"There's always a chance!" Mathias shouted, bristling under the almost constant insults. "Maybe I don't see the big picture, but I sure as hell don't want to die out here! It's better to at least make an effort than not try at all!"

"No! Trying means you get captured! And that means they will know!" Lukas argued, shaking his head.

"What will they know, Lukas? What are they trying to hide from us? And who the hell _are_ they? Forgive me for being stupid, but it seems that I just can't figure this out!" With venom in his voice, Mathias cast a hot glare in the direction he assumed Lukas was.

"Shut up!" Lukas' voice was much quieter than before, a small hiss compared to their previous shouting match. "Shut up before you attract attention to us!"

"Don't tell me to shut up! You have so many answers, why don't you share them for once?" Mathias yelled, ignoring the warnings of the other man. The walls around him were starting to vibrate, the sure warnings that _something_ big was nearby, and getting closer. "Come on, Lukas! If I'm so stupid, why don't you just give me the answers?"

"Mathias, I don't want to die because of your idiocy!" Lukas hissed. All of a sudden, Mathias could feel someone on him, an arm wrapped around his mouth. Eyes widening, Mathias struggled against the binding trying to bite the arm. The shaking was getting worse though, and he could almost hear the sound of breathing. Slowly, Mathias froze, color draining from his face and his eyes widening a bit. Lukas had stopped moving as well, and for a few heartbeats, the two sat in dead silence.

The rumbling stopped, but the sound of breathing was still there. Spitting Lukas' arm out of his mouth, Mathias stared up at the surface, breath catching in his throat. All of a sudden, the sound of nails dragging against the ground pierced the silence. Whatever was up there had become aware of their presence, and it was trying to get in. Eyes widening further, Mathias glanced around in a panicked manner. Lukas was pressing against the very back of the cave, staring at the ceiling in an almost worried manner. They weren't down that deep, if the beast kept digging, it wouldn't be long until they were discovered. And it would be his fault. The idea of having Lukas' blood on his hands and his death on his conscience was too much for the Dane. Looking up, he saw something that resembled a claw pierce through the ceiling.

Rolling to the other side of the hole, Mathias threw his coat over Lukas, the black hiding the smaller blonde in the shadows. In the same motion, he picked up one of the weapons Lukas had fashioned, throwing himself past the tarp and into the open. Chest heaving, Mathias whipped around and held the axe in the direction of the monster.

"Hey! You want me? Why don't you come and get me!" Mathias shouted, quickly whirling on his heels and taking off, weaving through the trash piles. For a moment, he thought that he wasn't going to be followed. Lukas had said something right before he had left, he hadn't been able to understand it, but maybe the beast had been more interested in that than the fleeing Dane. Stride faltering, Mathias slowly looked behind him, eyes narrowing a little bit as he tried to figure out where his enemy was.

And suddenly, the beast was there, jumping over massive piles of trash to land right in front of Mathias. Letting out a startled shriek, Mathias stared at the creature, fighting back the urge to puke. It stood a good seven feet hunched over. Its skin was a pasty green sort of color, decorated with pale white bones that matched the bones he had seen earlier in the day—human bones. Huge fingernails that had curved into talons dragged on the ground a bit, and tusks protruded from its mouth. Wild yellow-colored eyes stared down at him, judging him. There was almost a mocking look to those eyes.

Someone was screaming, Mathias thought, before he realized that it was actually himself. Shutting his mouth with a 'snap' sound, Mathias jumped back, holding the axe out in a defensive position. All of a sudden, the beast lunged forward, its talons ripping into the trash surrounding the two of them.

Eyes widening, Mathias threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding being smashed. Panting, he rolled to his feet, clinging to the axe with all of his might. "Come on!" he roared, slashing with the axe, immense satisfaction welling through him as he cut through the tough skin of the beast, blood coating him.

"Hah…hah!" Mathias laughed, his eyes wide. He had done it! He had hit the beast! Laughing some more, Mathias carefully took a step back, the axe drooping slightly as his muscles protested. Of course, the moment he took his eyes off of the beast, it reacted. Gasping, Mathias realized he was flying before he felt the sensation of pain.

Talons had sunk into his sides, and as he was thrown through the air, he could feel his skin ripping. Crying out in pain, Mathias swung the axe down, black clouding his vision. Dimly, he heard a roar of something, possibly success and possibly pain, but he didn't have time to figure it out.

Slamming into a trash pile, Mathias blacked out.

A/N: Just want to say thank you to everyone who reviews/favorites/etc this story. You guys never fail to make me smile when I get the email. C:


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